


love you and your soft

by hummingbirdswords



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/F, Light Dom/sub, Morning Sex, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 21:45:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14066238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummingbirdswords/pseuds/hummingbirdswords
Summary: "For Ada, Hecate will become needy; she will beg and make herself vulnerable. There is no safer place to free herself from the usual restraints that keep her from being so, and no other she is truly comfortable seeing her this way. It is only with and for Ada that Hecate can embrace the softer parts of herself she had grown to despise."or, the one where both emotional and physical softness is loved and embraced





	love you and your soft

**Author's Note:**

> **I wasn't sure if I needed to tag this with the D/s tag, but I chose to do so just to be safe. they're not playing a role in a scene, so don't expect that from it. but the mannerisms and language used goes with the dynamic. some of it is overt, but a lot is subtle**
> 
> Big thanks to my lovely Kez for the emotional support needed to get through creating this beast of a fic. This would be another one of my unfinished ideas I trashed if it weren't for you.
> 
> Also want to thank everybody over on tumblr who has been awesome and the cheerleaders on the sideline I didn't know I needed but appreciate so much. Special thanks to the extremely encouraging cassiopeiasara. You're a gem!
> 
> This fic got a bit out of hand and is way longer than it needs to be tbh, but that just means more Hackle, and who doesn't want that in their life?! So... Hope y'all enjoy!

Hecate catches a whiff of juniper and wild berries as she begins to wake from her slumber, faintly sweet and familiar in a way that makes her sleep-heavy body fill with a pleasant warmth. _Ada._ The reminder that the term has ended and they are on their own inside the school comes a few moments later: no reluctant students to wake, no catastrophes to tend to, no rush to leave the bed, and no reason why she can’t allow the indulgence of burying her nose in the source of the sensational fragrance that calls to her like the song of a siren.

 

Underneath the light bedding that has tangled around her legs, she shifts until she is pressed against the soft curves of Ada’s body. Her unruly hair gets caught under her shoulder and she pulls the dark curls free with an impatient hand, scowling even as she aligns the bony edges of her hips with Ada’s plush backside. She does not have the pleasure of waking every morning like this when the girls are around, so Hecate gives in to a desire she normally denies herself and wraps around Ada, squeezing her tightly.

 

A little rumble of laughter makes Ada’s shoulder jump ever so slightly, but the movement does not keep Hecate from rubbing her face across the fleshy bits of her and moaning with absolute delight. She is not easily perturbed when there is something she wants, and Hecate is full to the brim with a single desire: a want to get closer to Ada. “I hope I have not kept you waiting too long for me to wake,” she murmurs with her mouth pressing into the soft spot of warmth that vibrates beneath her lips just before a low hum meets her ears.

 

When Ada speaks, it is with a slow, calm voice that dares not pop the serene bubble they are inside. “Not at all.” Sleep clings to her the same way Hecate now does; it’s present in a deep and almost lethargic groan that accompanies her words. “You know how I delight in getting to watch you sleep in, Hecate.”

 

Hecate releases a sigh in response. She recognizes the peace in her own exhalation and, not for the first time, is surprised that a great deal of the stress she typically carries like a physical weight atop her shoulders has melted away overnight. She does not have the best relationship with sleep, for sometimes she and it do not see eye to eye and she spends her nights with her thoughts and work keeping her awake. It is because of this that she marvels at the looseness of her limbs when she does wake feeling well rested. Softly smirking to herself with the memory of loving fingers rubbing into her tight muscles the night before, she mentally makes a point to consider the part Ada has played in making her feel as limber as she does.

 

After seeing the girls off—and then having one last meeting with their colleagues before they too took their leave—she and Ada had shared a light supper in the garden. A leisure stroll, complete with hand brushes that turned into fingers laced together and bodies leaning into each other, brought them to the pond. They stood together in a way they simply did not during term. With the glittering reflection of the moonlight in front of them, they moved closer and closer to one another until they could not possibly be more connected without risking indecency. Their roles of Headmistress and Deputy Head were shed then, a small amount of Hecate’s rigidity falling away as she surrendered to the tenderness of the woman she held in her arms.  

 

Drowsy, Hecate finds it easier to show how desperately she sometimes wishes to be able to bury herself in all of Ada’s soft. Around her shoulders, Hecate sometimes wraps one of the old pink jumpers Ada believes she misplaced years ago. When she is marking her pupils’ work or preparing a lesson and the solitude is necessary, having Ada with her in that way brings comfort not much else can. But it isn’t quite the same as feeling Ada beneath her fingers, her mouth, the scent of her heady and inviting.

 

Hecate kisses the back of Ada’s shoulder through the cotton of a nightdress that blocks her from skin she would rather brush her lips across. She nuzzles and whimpers without shame, and is rewarded for this display of honest and unrestrained wanting with a breathy moan. From experience she knows that is exactly what it is, a small reward, like a lemon drop would be if she were the sort to derive any pleasure from the sweet, Ada proud of her for not shying away from what her love often tells her are natural and healthy desires. Hecate is still unaccustomed to revealing the softer sides of herself, is sometimes even repulsed when she does; but Ada, sweet Ada, never makes her feel like she has reason to be.

 

“Come now, darling, tell me what it is you want,” Ada encourages. A hand reaches from the other side of the bed and brushes away strands of hair from Hecate’s face. Fingers as warm as they are gentle stroke her brow before pushing into her hair so that nails can lightly scrape her scalp. “Hmm. While that feels awfully nice, I get the sense that there is something else you want.”

 

“Do you now?”

 

A slow smile appears when Hecate lifts her head to look at Ada, and she is not surprised to find the other woman already smiling over her shoulder. The sunlight that spills into the room is in her eyes, but it is no match for the light that Ada herself is responsible for. She is radiant and beautiful, from the laugh lines that etch across her skin to the pleased and happy smile on her lips. Hecate may never understand why a woman so full of light and strength—both which are as abundant as her kindness and intelligence—would choose to love her of all people, but in moments like this especially, she is eternally grateful.

 

“Are you suggesting I have become...predictable?” Hecate questions, propping her head up on a hand so that she can comfortably look down into Ada’s eyes, eyes which dance with mirth when Hecate lifts her eyebrows.

 

“Not at all. To become predictable, one must first be a mystery.” The corner of her mouth twitches the way Hecate notices it does when Ada is lightly teasing. “I’m afraid you have always been impressively transparent to me.”

 

“Have I really?” Hecate’s smile falters; she breaks eye contact. “Always?”

 

Ada shrugs minutely. “In the ways that it matters, yes, I do believe so.” She pauses, considering something quietly with pursed lips before she shifts so she’s laying more on her back than her side and she can lean over and press a lingering kiss to Hecate’s mouth. She tastes faintly of mint, and it is this which reminds Hecate to cast a quick spell that freshens her own breath. “You frown as though that is a bad thing, but I can assure you that it is not.”

 

But isn’t it? Should she not have been better at remaining impassive? Indifference, she had been taught, would make her stronger in all areas of life, emotions too unpredictable to be allowed even a modicum of control. Hecate huffs out a breath and looks around the room as she sifts her thoughts, knowing there are faults in the logic of her teachings but unable to fully let go of what had been drilled into her for decades.

 

The summer mornings are quiet and the air which blows in through the window is not yet so hot that it makes the room uncomfortable. She never quite appreciated summer until she came to Cackle’s, and certainly not to the extent she does now that she is no longer hiding how deeply she feels for Ada. Summers hadn’t held any significance until her summer days and nights were monopolized by intimate moments shared with the woman who has become her best friend, lover, and partner. Now, the season is her favorite time of the year.

 

“What is it?” Ada asks her gently, drawing Hecate’s attention back to her.

 

Shaking her head clear, Hecate repeats, “Transparent,” like it’s a dirty word with a foul taste she doesn’t want to coat her tongue. It comes out harsher than she means for it to sound, the controlled tone she uses with pupils and staff alike not present when she speaks to Ada, her emotions allowed to affect her voice, but Ada doesn’t flinch.

 

Ada smiles patiently, a gentle curl to her lips and a low hum sneaking free from her throat. Hecate has always admired her patience, something she herself does not have nearly enough of. She often wonders how Ada has not yet run out of her supply. “I take it you do not agree.”

 

“No, I do not,” she admits without missing a beat. “Given how I felt about you, I would hope I was not—” her nose turns up and she sniffs with distaste, “—transparent, as you say.”  

 

“Hmm.” Ada doesn’t respond right away. She chooses instead to complete the turn she had begun making earlier, rolling onto her side to mirror Hecate’s position. Her breath is slow but heavy when she releases it, heated on Hecate’s mouth as it blows across her lips. “I’m not sure I understand why this bothers you so, but I’d like to.”

 

Is she overreacting to a simple word choice? She knows that she has in the past, that sometimes the particular way something is phrased can unsettle her. Or, perhaps, it isn’t the word itself she feels the need to object and deny. No, it likely isn’t, she admits to herself. Hecate knows what truly makes her uncomfortable is the possibility that she had not successfully hidden what she had believed at the time to be a ridiculous crush on a superior. There is still a voice inside Hecate’s head that taunts her, makes her question if Ada had thought her silly all that time—or worse: unprofessional. However, she doesn’t want to admit that aloud. Her irrational fears and thoughts are something she’d rather push into a corner of her mind and ignore. She _knows_ Ada never felt that way about her.

 

“Hecate, my dear?”

 

Hecate swallows and speaks slowly. “I wouldn’t say that it bothers me. It is only that I—well, I...” Her lips pull into a thin line. Her brow furrows. She doesn’t approve of the way her voice dips and falls to a weak whisper, so unsure of itself. Ada must think her foolish, making a big deal of something so small and insignificant. Why had she decided to nitpick in the first place?

 

The tender sweep of fingers down her neck snaps her away from her thoughts and makes her sigh. She realizes how tense she has become and pulls in a long breath; she releases it only once Ada smiles gently at her and gives the approving nod of her head. Her jaw loosens, teeth unclenching. They do this thrice more, Ada encouraging her to breathe in with the slow brush of her fingers and Hecate exhaling when she is given the okay to do so. It calms her, as it always does, and she smiles her thanks.

 

“Better?”

 

“Quite.”

 

Ada moves her hand into Hecate’s hair and wiggles her fingers, slipping them through the messy curls and lightly pulling just enough to cause a tingling sensation that makes Hecate shiver. “Good,” Ada murmurs. Her eyes are brilliant and bright, beautiful wrinkles deepening around them and her mouth when she smiles warmly at Hecate. “Now, would you like to try again?”

 

Hecate thinks she would rather lie there and have her hair played with; her cheeks burn with embarrassment at the very thought, but she rolls her eyes in response to her unnecessary reaction. She reminds herself, is always reminding herself, that she is allowed the affection Ada so happily shows her.  

 

“Not necessarily, no,” Hecate says in answer. “I don’t want to permit overdeveloped insecurities any more power than they already have. It was an overreaction fueled by a voice I know I should not listen to, and I am all right.”

 

Ada searches her eyes for a long moment before asking, “Are you certain?”

 

“I am. It was all rather,” she starts but pauses to mull over a few word choices, fingers tapping against the bed between them, before settling on, “irrational. Yes, quite irrational indeed.”

 

“Ahh, well, as much as I know you detest irrationality, do remember you can be as irrational as you need to be here with me and I will not think any less of you for it.” The reminder is given gently. Ada squeezes her arm and smiles at her, sincerity and care in her touch just as they had been in her words.

 

A surge of warmth shoots through Hecate’s body and she hums quietly. “I know, and I appreciate it.” Her voice is once again a whisper, a murmur, but she doesn’t scold herself for it and shut down to gain control of her emotions. She lowers her gaze down to Ada’s chest and away from her face. “Thank you.”

 

“I don’t require thanks, darling. It is no more than what you offer me, and no more than you deserve. But, you are welcome.”

 

Topic dismissed, she shifts closer and moves lower in the bed, gently urging Ada onto her back and laying her head down between Ada’s breasts, sighing when she doesn’t need to do any more than that to receive what she wants. Nails immediately begin carefully scratching her scalp and the back of her neck, slowly dragging just how she loves it. She curls her arm around Ada and snuggles in closer.

 

“Oh,” she breathes roughly, her pleasure clearly evident even to her own ears. “That feels marvelous.”

 

Ada’s giggle vibrates in her chest, the sweet chime of it floating around the room. “You are one purr away from giving me reason to wonder if you have been part kitten this whole time in secret, my dear Hecate.”

 

Hecate can’t help the smile that pulls at her cheeks. She feels lighter than she had moments before. On the next slow downstroke of fingernails, she moans and mewls, genuinely enjoying the way Ada brings heat to the surface of her skin and sends a shiver down her spine. If it makes Ada laugh again, then that is just a bonus—a rather beautiful bonus, she notes when she lifts her head just enough to watch the way Ada beams when she laughs.

 

Hecate reaches a hand up to touch Ada’s face. She gently follows the bridge of Ada’s nose with the tip of her forefinger and lets out an awe-filled sigh. “You’re exquisite, Ada Cackle.”

 

A blush blooms right in front of her eyes, coloring Ada’s cheeks a pale pink that even Hecate finds pretty. “Oh, none of that,” she says with a laugh, unable to maintain eye contact. She looks over Hecate’s head instead. “You spoiled me near rotten last night. You mustn’t continue this morning.”

 

Hecate trails her fingers lower and turns Ada’s head by her chin. She waits until those spectacular blue eyes she loves so much are focused on her face again before whispering, with purpose this time, “You are exquisite.”

 

It’s heartbreaking the way disbelief still flickers across Ada’s face when Hecate pays her a compliment that doesn’t directly pertain to her magical talents or her abilities as a headmistress. She doesn’t outright deny there is truth to what Hecate says like she once did, but Hecate knows she does not fully believe her. As much as it hurts Hecate knowing that this magnificent woman doesn’t see how remarkable she is, she understands how difficult of a task it can be to rid oneself of insecurities that have practically always been present. Even if Ada does not see herself the same way Hecate does, Hecate is determined to always show and tell her just how lovely she finds her. Love and appreciation, Hecate does not have a shortage of when it comes to Ada Cackle.

 

Ada watches silently with curious eyes as Hecate brings herself up to her knees and kneels in the middle of the mattress. Hecate offers her a slight smile of assurance that everything is all right, not looking away, not wanting to break the intense connection between the two of them just yet. She pulls the cotton bedding down from Ada’s hips and pushes it toward the foot of the bed, nearly missing the low hiss that comes from one of their familiars down below on the floor. She spares a quick look over her shoulder and sees Morgana rolling around where the sun slips in through the window and warms the floor. She feels a burst of affection in her chest, but her attention is immediately returned to Ada.

 

She lays and waits in a pink and white nightgown with buttons down the front, a rather modest choice of nightwear chosen for comfort above all else. Its modesty, however, is irrelevant when the thin fabric has ridden up to the middle of Ada’s plush thighs and Hecate can make out tiny bruises left behind from their passionate night. Hecate’s breath catches in her throat, a gasp of surprise, and Ada squirms under Hecate’s traversing gaze. A rush of heat shoots straight to her core, and it’s only Ada rubbing her thighs together that reminds her that she is meant to be doing more than silently admiring the sight of Ada.

 

Unwilling to resist, she reaches out with long, slender fingers and brushes the inside of a thigh that trembles before she has given it a proper caress. Beautifully sensitive, Ada always is, and wondrously warm. Hecate revels in both her warmth and softness, dragging the tips of four fingers from a knee to the frilly edge of the nightdress that begs to be pushed up to Ada’s waist so Hecate can stroke more of her.

 

Ada hums quietly in her throat, and Hecate slowly looks up to meet her heavy-lidded eyes. Before she can speak, she needs to clear her throat, hyper-aware of her own arousal at that moment but unsure of it at the same time. She can only accept that the reminder of how she squeezed and bit and held Ada so desperately is arousing if she hadn’t hurt Ada in the process, if she hadn’t let herself go a little too much.

 

“You’ve bruised.”

 

Ada glances down. “Ah, yes. You were quite enthusiastic last night,” Ada says in a way that’s dismissive of the hint of concern in Hecate’s own voice and telling of how unbothered she truly is by the tiny bruises Hecate has left behind. “An enthusiasm I encouraged, if you recall,” she adds meaningfully, voice laden with desire.

 

Muscles in Ada’s thigh jump and twitch beneath the fleshy parts Hecate is slowly rubbing. She presses herself into Hecate’s hand to receive more pressure, and Hecate responds by squeezing her thigh firmly. She taps against the innermost part with an extended forefinger as she speaks. _Tap pause tap tap pause tap_ _._ “So long as I have not hurt you.”

 

Ada smiles with affection and rises from the bed a little so she can bring a hand to Hecate’s cheek to stroke it gently. “Don’t think me too fragile to handle you. You should know better than that.”

 

A short chuckle comes from somewhere deep inside her as she moves up to Ada’s mouth, Ada’s assurance washing away her doubts. “I wouldn’t dare,” she says through the low sound, pressing her lips to Ada’s.

 

A hand curls around the back of her neck and pulls her lower, and their kiss deepens from a lingering closed-mouth kiss to one that makes Hecate’s body sway and almost fall on top of Ada completely. She moans at the feeling of Ada’s tongue passing over her lip and opens her mouth to meet it with her own, the hand on Ada’s thigh, still squeezing, the only thing keeping her stable.

 

Softly, Ada breathes out a moan of pleasure and tangles her fingers in dark hair while her second hand grabs a fistful of Hecate’s nightgown around the back. Despite Hecate being the one to initiate the kiss, there is no question who dominates it. It is Ada who slides her mouth over Hecate’s lower lip and follows with her teeth, lightly nibbling, and she who makes Hecate whimper by using her tongue to tease, licking sensually, playfully, along lips and behind teeth, touching Hecate’s tongue and pulling away every time Hecate tries to catch her. Hecate wouldn’t have it any other way, flushes and barely contains the noises that Ada evokes.

 

If oxygen was not a necessity, Hecate might never leave the warm press of her love’s mouth. Instead, she might choose to be kissed foolish all day. As it is, her heart hammers in her chest and her lungs are tight, her body desperate for more air than she is allowing it.

 

She groans into their kiss and drags her mouth away, breath hot and lips wet as they slide over Ada’s cheek. “You’re delicious,” she breathes into the soft spot below Ada’s jaw, unable to pull herself away entirely. Her kisses are loud—and a bit messy, something she usually doesn’t associate with herself—tongue licking up Ada’s neck, mouth surrounding a sensitive spot and sucking slowly. “Please know that,” she whispers below Ada’s ear. She kisses her. She kisses her. She kisses her and moans because the way Ada pants drives her mad. “Know that I find you absolutely divine,” she begs with her mouth over Ada’s ear and her heated breath blowing into it.

 

Ada sucks in a sharp breath. Both of her hands are in Hecate’s hair, tugging gently enough to cause no true pain but soothing with tender strokes just the same. Hecate moans again, this time when she is pulled away from Ada’s neck and forced to look at her. The tug on her hair sends an intense pulse of pleasure directly to her clitoris and makes her lashes flutter as her eyes try to shut. But she doesn’t allow that when closing her eyes means not being able to take in the flushed cheeks and widening pupils of an aroused Ada.

 

She repositions herself slightly, right hand toward the top of the bed and left beside Ada. Her hair falls down in a wild mess of tousled curls and waves on either side of her head when the hands that had been in it relocate, rubbing down her sides and up her back. Beneath such loving hands, Hecate is unable to hold in her soft sighs and quiet moans; Ada looks pleased each time another sound escapes her parted lips. It’s soothing, and she knows that’s exactly what Ada means to do, to calm her for a moment, so she submits to the tranquility.

 

She tips her head so that her forehead is leaning against Ada’s, their noses touching. When Ada breathes out a soft breath, it is warm on Hecate’s face and Hecate sighs in return. Lashes tickle her. It’s all rather sweet, she thinks, the quiet intimacy of the moment; it’s so rarely quiet, around the school during term and in her head most of the time. But as Ada rubs her back, the only noise comes from their breaths and the soft scratch of material rustling between her body and Ada’s warm hands.

 

She searches for Ada’s mouth with her lips. She kisses a cheek three times before she is kissed in return. The pressure of Ada’s mouth is soft, lips puckering, pushing, parting, surrounding Hecate’s lower lip; she sucks it oh so slowly, like she’s savoring the taste of Hecate the same way she might a lemon drop or another one of her favorite sweets. To be kissed this way is a treat. She can feel Ada’s desire to have her, to touch her, to taste her, and she has long accepted that being wanted by Ada in any sense of the word makes her _weak,_ weak in a way that she isn’t afraid nor ashamed to be with Ada.

 

A hand slides over her bum and she moans in delight, a gentle sound that turns low and dirty when the light caress turns into a harsh squeeze and a tap. “Ahhh,” she breathes out, and Ada rubs her hand in a slow circular motion. The fabric of her nightgown rubs against her bare skin and causes a wave of pleasure to wash over her, electrifying and tingling her nerve endings. She moves her head to the pillow and kisses Ada’s ear, lips wrapping around the lobe and pulling. “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

 

The answering laughter is light and joyous; Hecate smiles against Ada’s neck because of it. “Does this feel like a distraction?”

 

Hecate nods and lifts herself up so that she’s once again partially hovering over Ada and looking down into her eyes. “It does. I’ll take responsibility for distracting myself the first time, but this time it is you who is responsible.”

 

“The first time?” Eyebrows knit together and lips purse, confused, a look that Hecate finds terribly endearing.

 

In a small display of tenderness, Hecate presses her lips to Ada’s forehead and holds them there for a lingering kiss. If possible, Ada’s smile brightens as it stretches across her face and dimples her cheek. The way she radiates the purest of lights is enough to make Hecate’s heart feel heavy and full in a way that is almost too much to bear, but being able to return even half of the joy and love Ada gifts her on a daily basis doubles that feeling.

 

“The first time?” Ada repeats imploringly.

 

“Oh, right, yes.”

 

She shifts her weight and relieves her left hand of its share of the responsibility of holding her up so that she is able to slide her hand over Ada’s thigh. Ada twists and presses into her touch with a sigh, and Hecate feels a burst of warmth low in her belly. She dampens her lips and splits her focus between her fingers drawing nonsensically and the conversation.

 

“You distracted me when I was telling you how I desire you, and I distracted myself before that when I had planned on showing you exactly how much. It would seem that these—” she looks down between them, to her hand moving along Ada’s thigh, “—these bruises, _love bites,_ are quite flattering on your skin.”

 

“Oh.” Ada gives her a look that’s full of amusement. “How flattering do you find them?”

 

Hecate recognizes the teasing in her voice and the quirk of her lips and rolls her eyes. “Oh, hush,” she whispers not unkindly and presses her hand higher up Ada’s thigh and her mouth to the other woman’s lips. She kisses her thoroughly.

 

Ada moans and sighs and squirms.

 

Hecate pulls back to look at her, breathless and wanting and beautiful. She wants Ada as well, every inch of her, in every way, beneath her fingers and mouth; she wants Ada to feel her everywhere, not just feel her body but also her love and desire.

 

When Hecate pulls her hand away and kneels beside Ada once again, Ada blinks several times and asks, “Is everything all right?”

 

“Yes, yes, of course.” She clears her throat and stretches her arm out, palm side up. “If you’d allow it, I would like the opportunity to undress you. I regret rushing through that part last night.” The corner of Ada’s lower lip disappears behind teeth to be nibbled on, an action that Hecate doesn’t miss. She mirrors it, sucking her lip into her mouth as she gets up from the bed and stands beside it instead, still holding out her hand. Her voice lowers, as does her head slightly, eyes downcast. “Please,” she requests.

 

Palm heavy and warm, Ada places her left hand in Hecate’s right, fingers curling down slowly. Hecate pulls Ada up to her feet and toward herself. Holding both of Ada’s hands in her own, she brings them to her mouth. She sighs out a breath against the raised bumps of knuckles beneath smooth skin and rubs her lips straight across from one hand to the other, lips parted to allow a teasing flicker of her tongue and the warmth of her breath.

 

Ada’s own breath shakes. She squeezes around Hecate’s fingers with a strong grip. There’s awe in her eyes. “My sweet one,” she sighs with adoration that warms Hecate’s entire body.

 

Hecate slides her lips over soft skin, the backs of fingers, the sides of palms, long kisses, slow kisses, delighted by each sigh and hushed _oh_ that escapes Ada. The sound of a pleased Ada is one she will never tire of, and she does whatever she can to provide pleasure in even its simplest forms. Her kisses only stop when Ada takes her hands away from Hecate so she can tuck locks of dark hair behind her ears and frame Hecate’s face. It is Hecate who sighs then, blissfully rubbing a cheek into one palm and then doing the same against the other.

 

“Such tenderness, Hecate,” Ada says, breath heavy in that way that makes Hecate flush with delicious heat. “You’re spoiling me again.”

 

Hecate’s heart skitters and does terribly foolish things when Ada’s dimpling smile is given to her and the shorter woman looks at her as though she is some sort of gift. Hecate, a gift, when Ada is the one who always gives so much to everyone and loves Hecate far better than anyone else ever has. It’s almost ridiculous, the very thought.

 

“You must know that I want nothing more than the opportunity to spoil you all the time.” Even though she has become more vocal about these thoughts, she still lowers her eyes as she says this. It is too much to both admit how much she wishes she could do for Ada and be looked at with such intensity. “Just as I need for you to know that you will always have my love and support, it is imperative that you also know that my desire for you is unending.”

 

Ada hums long and low. Her hands squeeze around Hecate’s face and tilt her head so that Hecate is forced to meet her eyes once again. She is unsurprised to see the sheen of moisture that Ada attempts to blink away before speaking. “You have always made me feel loved and supported, Hecate. Even when your companionship was the most I believed I could have, you never failed to make me feel loved.”

 

“But do you—” Hecate exhales softly, trails her hand from Ada’s shoulder to touch her neck with the backs of fingers, caressing soft skin as she asks, “—do you feel desired? Do you see how much I want you?” Her fingers tremble when they slide down to Ada’s clavicle, the bone hidden beneath soft flesh. She traces with her nails and watches in wonderment as Ada’s lips part to release a quiet breath. “I want my desire for you to be as undeniable as my love and devotion is.”

 

“Darling,” is all Ada breathes out in response, the endearment sweet and soft as it passes her lips.

 

Hecate raises her hands to stroke those which cradle her head. She travels down the slopes of Ada’s bare arms, nails painting invisible trails from wrists to shoulders. Ada attempts to hide her tremble, but it is an attempt that is unnecessary when her entire body quivers from the sensation of the light scratches. So wonderfully sensitive Ada is, so responsive; Hecate adores her like this.

 

A sharp inhale pierces the air between them, and Ada looks as though she’s near melting point beneath Hecate’s hands. She strokes Hecate’s face and then her hair. Her eyes never move away—they refuse to leave Hecate’s for even a second.

 

If she was not already used to how Ada looks at her, so loving and adoring, the beauty of her soul present in her gaze, Hecate might not be able to handle the intensity of her stare. As it is, she needs to take a steadying breath to prevent herself from getting lost in Ada’s mesmerizing eyes for too long. She inhales and slowly exhales, her hands squeezing Ada’s shoulders as she does so, thumbs brushing the edge of Ada’s patterned nightdress.

 

Her head turns to meet the palm that rubs her cheek, nose nuzzling against the warmth and breathing in the comforting scent of Ada. It should be against the Witches’ Code for someone to be as intoxicating as Ada is, for someone to cause the sort of headrush that makes her feel unexplainably dizzy from only the tenderness of a touch. But, oh, how she’s glad that it isn’t.

 

“I hunger for your touch,” Hecate murmurs, mouth dragging over lifelines and pressing kisses to the indent of Ada’s palm. She wants to bury the words there, leave them to be kept safe as all things are in Ada’s hands. “For yours alone,” she whispers like a confession, a reminder, holding Ada’s gaze and hoping the honesty of her desire is seen.

 

She imagines the look in her eyes is screaming ‘Believe me,’ and ‘Trust me,’ and that she might appear desperate for Ada to do those things, but she does not care. For Ada, Hecate will become needy; she will beg and make herself vulnerable. There is no safer place to free herself from the usual restraints that keep her from being so, and no other she is truly comfortable seeing her this way. It is only with and for Ada that Hecate can embrace the softer parts of herself she had grown to despise, and though she is still learning how to fully do that, with Ada she has reached a level of self-acceptance she had not previously known.

Hecate only wishes to be a part of Ada’s journey of self-acceptance in return.

 

“Is that,” Ada starts, but she has to pause to pull in a breath that is surprisingly unsteady. She blinks several times before lowering her hand from Hecate’s face; it travels down the length of Hecate’s torso in a slow brush of fingers that barely touch her. “Is that what you want, for me to touch you? Hmm?”

 

She leans into the hand splayed below her ribcage and pulls in a long breath that makes her press even closer. While she relishes the feeling of being touched by Ada, it is not what she wants most, so she shakes her head in the negative, her hair tickling the side of her neck. “Not right now, no. I only meant to remind you that it is you alone who inspires such lusting.”

 

Ada smiles bashfully and shifts her weight from one foot to the other, hands dropping to her sides. “I...” She purses her lips, then opens her mouth after a moment of consideration, closes it almost immediately, knits her eyebrows, and then opens once more, only to release a mess of sounds that come out jumbled and fumble about, not really forming any coherent words. She pouts and looks away from Hecate after that, staring down at the floor. “I’m afraid I am unsure how to respond.”

 

Hecate feels as though they have switched places for the morning. It is usually she who does not know how to express herself adequately in these situations, she who struggles with assigning words to her feelings so that she might share them. When it is Hecate who does not know what to say, Ada reminds her that she need not always respond, that nonverbal communication can be just as efficient between two people who understand each other as well as they do.

 

Hecate reminds Ada the same, sliding a bent finger beneath Ada’s chin to lift her head back up. It rights the scales of balance when Ada looks directly at her again. “I only need for you to hear me, and for you to believe I mean what I say,” she whispers as she leans forward. Her next words are quiet as they’re nearly pressed directly to Ada’s mouth. “Allow me to remind you how beautiful I find you. Please. Allow me to show you how I want you.”

 

The way Ada hums and presses closer makes Hecate’s knees weak, nearly buckling. Solid but plush, Ada’s body pushes against Hecate, breasts and bellies touching, exceptionally soft and warm with too much fabric between Ada and her own. “Show me,” Ada permits, voice cracking slightly with a familiar urgency that always does Hecate in.

 

It is with a mixture of that same urgency and a desire to please Ada that she slips her hand into silky hair and cups the back of Ada’s head. Her own head she tilts slightly, the tip of her nose brushing Ada’s upper lip; even that tease of a touch makes Ada hum, never one to hold in the sounds of pleasure that form in her throat. It thrills Hecate, always has, and she is nearly vibrating with an uncontrollable craving to hear more of those sweet noises.

 

The hand that doesn’t pull Ada to her mouth traverses the plane of her back, clutching her tightly and stroking her through thin cotton. As their lips slide and part against the other’s, Hecate revels in the arousing sensation of having Ada’s body so close to hers, delights in the way it feels to be able to hold her in her arms, feel the very beat of Ada’s heart against her own chest. It pounds heavily, _ba bum ba bum ba bums_ faster and faster while Hecate grabs her with unrestrained neediness, her side and hip, fingers digging into soft flesh, kneading, pulling, anything to have Ada closer to her.

 

Hecate draws out a moan from her love’s mouth with her tongue, the tip of it tracing the turn of her lower lip. She sighs heavily in response to both the sound and the way Ada slips her hands down to hold her hips, anchoring herself. Ada’s mouth once again opens to her, and she runs her tongue over a sensitive lip a second time before going deeper, licking over the tongue that meets her own, warm and wet and gentle, a light caress that sends tingles down Hecate’s spine and causes another sigh.

 

Ada is magnificent.

 

Their bodies begin to sway, forward, backward, Ada pushing into her and Hecate wanting to hold her up and pushing back, the two of them quickly becoming a mess of rushed breaths and desperate hands that are touching everywhere. There is no finesse to be found, no restraining oneself, only the two of them caught up in a web of desire and pleasure that Hecate is sure neither want to be freed from. She imagines she must look wild, mad with desire; the thought of it is far more arousing than she believes it should be.

 

Groaning against Ada’s mouth when her lip is bitten, she moves her hands between them. She rubs over the swell of Ada’s belly and curls long fingers at her side, squeezing her; when Ada holds Hecate tighter and encourages her to continue with shaky words of praise, she does it again. She presses kisses to both of Ada’s lips, the corner of her mouth, making a damp path as she travels down to the soft and sensitive spots of Ada’s neck. Labored breath tickles her ear and the side of her face as she rubs against Ada, cheek to cheek, lips to chin, nose to neck, never staying one place too long, each of her senses flooded with glorious sensations.

 

Her right hand takes a firm hold of a weighty breast, lifting it slightly as she squeezes her fingers around the supple flesh. Ada’s deep moan hits her low and heavy. She throbs and aches and seeks friction between her thighs that she is unable to receive without straightening herself out and removing her mouth from Ada’s neck. But her desire to give to Ada is stronger—her desire to please Ada is always stronger.

 

Fingers card through her hair and push it away from her face, nails raking over her scalp and sending a delightful prickling sensation scattering across her skin. She lifts her eyes to find Ada’s, rings of murky blue around dilated pupils, ecstasy like a burning flame that glows fiercely. Hecate attaches her mouth to the junction between Ada’s neck and shoulder and buries a moan there, long and loud even though it is muffled.

 

Ada’s head falls to the side, allowing Hecate more room. Hecate takes what is offered to her with a grateful sigh. As she sucks and nibbles and kisses Ada into a blissful fit of harmonious moans, she thumbs at the hardening nipple she’s captured. The flesh beads and puckers almost instantly; she squeezes it and rolls it between thumb and finger, tighter when Ada’s chest pushes forward into her hand, softer when Ada’s breath hitches and she cries out.

 

“Darling,” Ada calls her, the loving endearment mixed with the sounds of erotic pleasure piercing the air. “My sweet darling.”

 

Hecate whimpers and forgets to watch the pressure of her teeth, sends them digging into the side of Ada’s neck when her hair is tugged on. It creates a dizzying cycle, for Ada cries out again and floods Hecate’s body with suffocating heat. She whimpers once more and sucks harshly over the same spot she had just bitten, lips parted and tongue pressing to Ada’s neck. She feels as though every nerve in her body has been hit at once; pulse after desperate pulse of need and pleasure being felt between her legs.

 

“You’re—oh, you’re, ahhhh...”

 

Whatever Ada attempts to say is lost when she sucks in a sharp breath and holds Hecate to her. All Hecate knows is Ada then, a heavy pulse below her mouth, the faint smell of wild berries and the natural scent of Ada’s skin, the slight taste of salt on her tongue. The cotton of Ada’s nightdress is smooth beneath her fingers, so thin that she can feel the ridges and tiny bumps that surround the peak of Ada’s breast when she rubs circles around it. She is engulfed by all things Ada, and Hecate wishes to be kept in the blissful place where nothing else exists for as long as humanly possible.

 

It is only a need for air that drags her away, and then the rasp of Ada’s voice. “Lower now.” The fingers in her hair pull and direct, guiding Hecate’s head to Ada’s chest.

 

She moans and drops kisses down to the neckline of Ada’s nightdress, pausing only for a moment to take several steadying breaths when she feels suddenly overwhelmed and dizzy. Her pulse rushes in her ears, as does Ada’s breaths and her own; she focuses on that and Ada’s calming fingers stroking her face and hair until she feels she can once again continue without feeling like she’s drowning in too much of a good thing.

 

The top button of Ada’s nightdress is undone first, slowly, but the next three she rushes through, a wave of impatience washing over her when Ada trembles. There is so much skin she has yet to get her hands on this morning, so much of Ada’s body she has not paid homage to, and she _needs_ so awfully.

 

Her hands shake and she fumbles; it’s an annoyance, but she doesn’t want to use magic to undress Ada as she had the night before. She misses out on the way Ada shivers when she rushes through the undressing, misses the way her own body reacts to skin slowly being revealed to her. She is not allowed the extra moments spent unabashedly staring without worrying she might be making Ada feel uncomfortable when she magicks Ada’s clothes away. While magic would be faster, it removes the pleasure of the experience—and what a shame that would be.

 

Clearing her throat, Hecate straightens up and steps back for a moment. She’s unbuttoned all but four of the pink buttons. The nightgown hangs open on either side, baring creamy flesh down to the dip of Ada’s navel. The garment is already attempting to fall to the floor as it slides off one shoulder, but Hecate’s not quite ready to allow it. She licks her lips and rubs her hands together, her fingers restless and wanting to touch. However, it is her eyes which receive the pleasure her hands do not yet have.

 

She starts with Ada’s face, silently checking in. Ada is already watching her closely, and when Hecate licks her lips, the action is repeated by Ada. That alone sends a shot of warmth to her core; the heat intensifies when Ada drags her teeth over the corner of her lip and she pulls it into her mouth.

 

“When you do that, it is nearly impossible to think of more than how I wish to be kissing your mouth.” She once again licks her lips, her breathing harsh and causing them to feel dry. She raises her gaze from Ada’s tantalizing mouth slowly. “It used to drive me mad.”

 

There’s a tickle of a small laugh in Ada’s throat. “I’m aware, as I am aware that it still does.”

 

Hecate warms from neck to hairline, no doubt in her mind that her fair skin has flushed to an awful shade of pink. It’s an old habit of hers to duck her head when she blushes, for she could never stand being looked at when she did, not when she had been teased due to how easily she blushed and certainly not when she was scolded and the signs of embarrassment were something she could not hide despite the tough skin she was being forced to develop. It must be written plainly across her face that she is cursing herself for blushing because she immediately feels the familiar brush of fingers over cheekbones and lips kissing her cheek.

 

“You blush so prettily for me. Don’t try to hide it,” Ada says gently, sweetly, taking Hecate’s face firmly between her hands and turning her head. “Look at me, Hecate.”

 

Hecate’s heart beats double time, but she opens her eyes and looks at Ada, Ada who smiles at her so warmly, who is looking at Hecate like she is precious. Hecate waits until the hand on her chin slides to her cheek, and then she turns her head into it, rubs against Ada with as much of her face as she can. She then presses her mouth hard to Ada’s palm. She kisses her appreciation and thanks and love into Ada’s skin as though she can leave a permanent mark of it there for Ada to always see.

 

Ada smiles at her as she watches, her second hand stroking Hecate’s hair. “Better?”

 

Hecate sighs contently. “Quite.” She wriggles her nose against Ada’s hand and hides her smile when it makes Ada giggle.

 

“Mmm. Sweet one,” Ada calls her, and Hecate can see in her eyes how much she means it.

 

Hecate shuts her own eyes for a second, just for a quick moment. Ada’s love and adoration make her feel _full,_ and she sometimes needs a moment to let the emotions that sweep through her and twist about settle and still. She pulls in a deep breath and opens her eyes, waits for the nod that she knows is coming, and then exhales. Ada slides her fingers down and signals for her to have another deep breath, probably for good measure, and Hecate follows through the steps as she always does.

 

“That’s my good girl,” Ada says with a wink.

 

Hecate shivers and knows she’s blushed again. She also knows it’s the exact response Ada knew she would get. Just as Hecate has come to learn what small things give Ada a little thrill, Ada has learned what does the same for her. She must admit that she isn’t quite sure she would have admitted to this particular pleasure on her own, but when Ada teasing her and playfully calling Hecate her good girl one night resulted in a blushing and mildly aroused Hecate, there hadn’t been a way to hide it without outright lying to Ada. She had believed she would be eternally embarrassed having Ada know, but she quickly discovered how much Ada enjoys calling her such things—especially when Hecate is so adamant about earning the privilege of being seen as such.

 

“Thank you.”

 

They hold each other’s gaze silently, and then Ada takes a few steps back to stand where she had previously been. It’s a clear signal that Hecate may continue with what she had been doing before. Hecate nods her head once and rubs her fingers against her thumbs, refocusing herself. Ada waits with a patient and intrigued smile.

 

“What was I saying?” Her fingernails flick against each other noisily. “Ah, yes. Your mouth.”

 

“Yes,” Ada agrees, twisting her lips together before the lower one disappears behind teeth. Little minx. Hecate _hnngs_ quietly. Ada releases a boisterous laugh when Hecate visibly shivers. “I don’t know why you enjoy torturing yourself so, Hecate. You could come here and kiss me if you wanted to.”

 

She almost does, but she stops herself. “No, not yet.”

 

Hecate shakes her head and forces herself to look away from Ada’s mouth, to push away the temptation to trace the gentle curve of a lip with her tongue and listen to the soft sigh she knows that would elicit. She denies herself that because she wants to continue what she had started, wants to vocalize more of what she finds attractive and beautiful about Ada’s body.

 

She does, however, close the distance between them and give in to her desire to touch Ada. “Here,” she says, fingertips running down the side of Ada’s neck. She’s careful over the bruise that is darkening the delicate skin she had bitten and sucked on mercilessly. She recalls the way Ada had held her head in place and moaned for her. She can’t help the way her fingers tremble as she circles it now. “I love the feel of you here.”

 

Ada leans into her touch and watches Hecate closely, can probably pick up every single one of her tells, can probably sense how terribly arousing she finds bite marks left on Ada’s skin to be. She always has, but it’s something she battles with despite Ada constantly reminding her that she doesn’t hurt her—no more than what is considered pleasurable.

 

Hecate has to clear her throat before speaking when she moves lower with her fingers, dragging them down to Ada’s clavicle, and then lower, black fingernails against rosy skin that is home to random splatterings of freckles and stretch marks that run across the tops of breasts. “And all along here,” she continues, her words leaving her mouth as slowly as her fingers slither down Ada’s chest.

 

Ada’s breath hitches when Hecate pushes the nightdress aside, freeing her left breast from the curtain of fabric that had kept it partially hidden. Hecate lifts her gaze for a brief moment to take in the sight of Ada when she flattens her hand out and sweeps it over warm skin, gently taking Ada’s breast into her hand. She sucks on her lip and lets it slowly slide away from her teeth; her eyes glaze over, ecstasy as plain as day as it plays out across her features, in the crevices of wrinkles, slackening Ada’s jaw, a beautiful picture of unadulterated erotic bliss. When Hecate palms and squeezes the malleable flesh, they both moan, Ada from the pressure of Hecate’s hand, and Hecate only from watching the way Ada gives herself over to pleasure so stunningly.

 

“You’re gorgeous,” Hecate tells her, unsurprised by how low and thick her voice has become. She feels breathless. She feels hot. She closes her eyes for a moment and focuses on the heavy thud of needy pulsing between her legs.

 

She feels wet.

 

Her breath rushes from her mouth when she opens her eyes and finds Ada watching her, desire and something far softer in her eyes. Hecate glows with warmth from Ada’s attention, a pleasant sensation that starts in her chest and soon floods the entirety of her. In response to the feeling, she moves the one step needed to press her body to Ada’s, her hand trapped between them, massaging and gently playing with a rigid nipple.

 

Ada winds her arms around Hecate and guides her closer, smushes them together, erases all the space that had remained. “Would you like to kiss me now?” Ada asks her, the question a raspy breath on Hecate’s chin, teasingly close to her mouth.

 

A weak sound forms in her throat and she barely gets her, “Please,” out before Ada is attached to her mouth and making her feel weightless, floaty, like they’re levitating together.

 

She’s loud when she moans. Hecate doesn’t remember ever being a loud kisser with any of the other women she has kissed in her life. But Ada pulls it out of her, teases her with her tongue and spoils her with the slow tugs on her bottom lip that make Hecate _ache._ With Ada kissing her, she forgets about self-restraint and propriety and every single reason she had ever believed it improper to be seen as needy. She forgets it because Ada holds her all the more tighter and kisses her with everything she has; Ada takes such obvious pleasure in making Hecate whimper and tremble that Hecate not only forgets those things, she remembers how aroused she gets when she feels free with someone she trusts.

 

And there is nobody Hecate trusts more than Ada.

 

Hecate makes enough room between them to undo two more of the buttons of Ada’s nightdress. It falls to the floor before she considers unbuttoning a third, and Ada gasps against her mouth. Hecate lets her hands roam Ada’s body while they continue kissing, over her arms, around her shoulders, nails gently running down either side of Ada’s spine, palms greedily grabbing the softness of wide hips. When Hecate travels downward and pulls Ada into her body by squeezing her plush bum, Ada breaks the kiss and buries her face in the crook of Hecate’s neck to moan and pant.

 

The damp warmth of Ada’s breath causes shivers. “I love—” the beginning of Hecate’s sentence gets lost in the sound of her uneven breaths, but she tries again, voice rough around the edges, “—love how soft you are everywhere.”

 

Ada kisses her neck with an opened mouth, sucks slowly below Hecate’s ear.

 

Hecate squeezes her eyes shut tightly, prepared for the wave of overwhelming heat that hits her when Ada’s tongue sneaks out to trace the shell of her ear but powerless against the force of it all the same. She moans loudly and pushes them toward the bed, feeling unstable on her feet.

 

Ada ends up sitting on the edge of the mattress, but Hecate lowers herself down to the floor in front of her. She kneels, breathless and aware of the way her black nightgown is hanging off her body so carelessly. She hadn’t noticed Ada untying the lacings that crisscross down the bodice, but the fabric is loose and one sharp tug away from revealing her naked flesh to the warm summer air and Ada’s eyes.

 

“Hecate,” Ada says gently as her hand passes over Hecate’s lowered head. Warm fingers smooth over the line of her jaw and tuck beneath her chin. “Darling, look at me.”

 

Hecate does exactly that, slowly lifting her eyes from the feet in front of her. She takes all of Ada in: curvy legs and thighs that are dimpled where they press to the mattress, cellulite and stretch marks she can’t make out without getting closer but loves running her nails along; higher, stomach rolls and ticklish spots of Ada’s belly, glorious softness that she enjoys being able to squeeze and curl into; breasts that are heavier than her own, gravity pulling them downward, tight nipples that are puckered and deliciously sensitive. She pauses at Ada’s neck as she licks her lips; oh, how many times she’s cried out in pleasure there, how she’s slept peacefully with her face pressed into Ada’s warmth.

 

Blinking, Hecate passes over Ada’s mouth; her lips are parted to release slightly quickened breaths, tiny crevices around them, wrinkles that show age and memories of joyous times. Ada’s face is beautiful, and Hecate wishes she had more time to visually trace the lines of her, follow the gentle curves of cheeks and count the pinched laugh lines around Ada’s eyes. But Ada is waiting for her to look at her properly, and so she does, words leaving her mouth the moment she notices the bit of uncertainty that Ada can’t hide away from her.

 

“They’re all foolish,” Hecate proclaims fiercely.

 

“Who, dear?” Ada questions, her eyebrows knitting together.

 

Hecate’s eyes almost lower, but she remembers herself and that Ada requested she look at her. She maintains eye contact as she says, “Every small-minded fool that ever made you doubt how beautiful you are.” She can see Ada’s urge to cover herself then, to pull the sheets around her body as she so often does; Hecate boils inside with rage, hates every single person responsible for making Ada so uncomfortable in her own skin. “They’re all foolish,” she repeats in a strong voice.

 

“Then you must think me foolish, too, for believing them.” The hurt in Ada’s eyes is unbearable.

 

Hecate’s heart aches painfully, a pain she makes physical by pressing her nails into her palms as she balls her fists by her sides. “I would never,” she swears. Quieter, she goes on, “You, Ada Cackle, are the farthest thing from foolish. You have trusted people who did not deserve your trust. You have been lied to by people you showed kindness to. You aren’t the fool. Any person who could not see how lucky they were to receive the gift of your trust—” she squeezes her eyes shut when she feels the hot sting of tears, takes and releases a deep breath to collect herself, “— anybody who wouldn’t see _you_ as a gift, they are the foolish ones.”

 

Hecate holds her breath as she watches the montage of emotions that play out before her, Ada allowing all that she feels to be seen in her eyes and her expressive features. It’s like being swept away by a tempestuous wind, but Hecate takes in every flash of feeling as it is shown to her: disbelief, wonderment, pain, gratefulness, disbelief once more, and then finally the softness of pure and simple love.

 

“You’re right,” Ada says with a smile that doesn’t quite meet her eyes but is enough for Hecate to let out the breath she had forced herself to hold. “They were the fools.”

 

Hecate doesn’t think Ada truly believes it, not yet, but she hopes that one day she might. For now, Hecate smiles back at her softly and nods her head. “You are lovely, and I know that I am better for knowing you, for having you in my life.”

 

The warmth returns to Ada’s eyes, and it spills from her and into Hecate when she strokes Hecate’s cheek tenderly. “And I am better for knowing you, darling.”

 

Hecate sighs and feels as though she’s melted right there at Ada’s feet. She rubs her face against Ada’s hand and turns to kiss her palm, smiling against it when Ada smiles at her. She drags her mouth down to Ada’s wrist, kisses her once, twice, a third time before taking Ada’s hand into her own. She presses her mouth to Ada’s knuckles and holds her gaze.

 

Ada doesn’t look away or say anything for several beats. She smiles down at Hecate and simply looks at her until there’s a soft breath shaking in the air and a low hum in Ada’s throat. “Up now, darling. Off your knees before you hurt them.” Her hand brushes against Hecate’s cheek once more before she places it on the mattress beside her.

 

Hecate’s joints try to refuse, but she pushes herself up to her feet and ignores their protests. She reaches to lift her nightgown up from where it hangs off her shoulder, but the way Ada pulls her lip into her mouth and bites down makes Hecate push it toward the floor instead. The pleased look in Ada’s eyes when it falls away completely is enough to make Hecate forget about her own self-consciousness, enough to make her shiver and even stand in front of Ada proudly while allowing Ada the opportunity to look at her. It hasn’t always been this easy, but Ada has helped her become more comfortable.

 

Ada isn’t shy about admiring her; Hecate’s not sure she ever truly was when they were alone together, but now Hecate’s certain she knows what Ada’s thinking when her eyes are on her. Ada takes her time and makes little noises in her throat, more moan than hum. She’ll linger without shame, not just at Hecate’s breasts or the thatch of dark hair between her hips. There’s a long scar across one of Hecate’s thighs from an incident that happened decades ago: glass, sliced right through her dress, mostly healed by magic but not completely. Ada traces it with her eyes—and when they’re in bed, she often mindlessly does the same with her fingers.

 

Hecate only waits silently as Ada journeys, her fingers restless beside her but the rest of her perfectly still. She once thought to be looked at this way would feel as though she was under a microscope, being observed, dissected, every flaw displayed and magnified. But instead she feels—well, to be frank, she feels aroused and wet, but she also feels adored.

 

She feels seen for all that she is: not just an esteemed teacher of the Craft; not the strict disciplinarian; not merely a body to touch and do away with once she becomes too much and no longer serves a purpose without requiring more effort than most want to give. Ada looks at her with desire, yes, but she knows the rest of her does not cease to exist when they are like this; she knows Ada’s respect for her remains, that Ada sees her strengths and weaknesses and loves every bit of her. Perhaps, Hecate thinks, that is why she can bare herself for Ada in ways she had never enjoyed doing for others.

 

With a snap of Ada’s fingers, their nightwear is picked up from the floor and moved to the foot of the bed. “I know how you hate a mess,” she says with a glimmer in her eyes, smile dimpling.

 

Hecate offers a little smile in return and nods to the bed. Ada’s resettling herself in her usual spot, and Hecate feels eager to fill her own space beside Ada. “Shall I join you?”

 

Ada pats the bed in invitation, laying on her side. “I would love nothing more.”

 

Hecate gracefully climbs into the bed, not only aware of the way Ada still watches her so closely but also of how heated the attention makes her. Her thighs brush each other as she crawls up from the foot of the bed, and the proof of her arousal is wet and undeniable between them. She pauses mid-crawl and clenches around emptiness and has to shut her eyes for a moment to compose herself. Still, she lets out a harsh breath that turns into a moan when fingers she hadn’t been expecting trail up her arm, goosebumps breaking out across her skin.

 

“Ada,” Hecate breathes out, her eyes opening and meeting the ones she had known would already be focused solely on her.

 

A gentle hand cups her cheek and a thumb brushes over her mouth, pulling on her lower lip. Ada’s own bottom lip is caught between her teeth. “Tell me, what do you want? Let me take care of you.” Ada raises up onto a bent arm and gently guides Hecate. “Hmm? What would you like?”

 

Despite the tenderness of Ada’s touch, when Hecate falls into her, it happens with a sense of urgency that Hecate is fully responsible for. Knowing she does not need to pretend she doesn’t crave the taste of Ada’s mouth, she doesn’t bother hiding how awfully she wants her. She takes hold of Ada’s face and presses her mouth hard against warm lips, her body following the lead of her lips and sinking into Ada’s softness, pressing Ada down onto her back. She is welcomed all the same, the sharp gasp from the woman below her turning into a pleased moan, arms wrapping around Hecate’s slim body and holding her tight.

 

There is only one thing Hecate wants. Everything she wants boils down to a single word, one name, one person. Hecate wants to continue kissing Ada’s body and burying her love in all of Ada’s soft, inviting spots. She wants to hear her moan and pant and sigh. She wants to be held by the hands that touch her so tenderly. She wants—

 

She wants Ada.

 

Hecate mumbles it against Ada’s mouth, once, twice, until she has said, “You,” so many times it no longer sounds like a mere word but a desperate chant.

 

Ada allows Hecate to kiss her breathless, with tongue and teeth and hands that stroke every bit of her they can reach. When their kiss ends, Ada’s skin is flushed and her eyes are unfocused. Hecate hovers above her face and brings her fingertips to a warm cheek, heart racing. With a featherlight touch, she brushes over the curve of Ada’s cheek and watches as it moves beneath her fingers and Ada smiles gently.

 

Ada slides her hand down Hecate’s back and gently taps against one of her upper thighs. “On your back when you’re ready for me.”

 

Hecate takes a moment longer to caress Ada’s face, and then she rolls over onto her back, eyes remaining on Ada. She exhales a calm breath and hums gratefully when Ada helps her get comfortable, adjusting pillows for her. In the moments between all that rushes and demands attention, there are always these gentle seconds, sometimes minutes, where it is almost as though the volume is decreased to its lowest setting so that she is able to hear the reminder that beats in Ada’s chest that tells her she is not alone. Silently watching Ada, it is a feeling of togetherness and a sense of belonging that warms her from the inside out.

 

The serenity that floods Ada’s eyes makes Hecate wonder if she is experiencing the same, if Ada feels as grateful as she does that their paths crossed and now travel together. Hecate gets the sense that she might, that they are once again, as they so often are, on the same wavelength, immersed in the very same beautiful sensation. The thought that they are makes her sigh quietly, content.

 

Breathing out her own sigh, Ada runs her fingers through Hecate’s hair and lets the untamed curls pass through her fingers carefully. She leans over and brings her mouth close for a kiss. Hecate lifts her hand from where it had idly laid on the mattress and holds Ada’s head in place while closing the distance between them, her thumb gently brushing Ada’s cheek. This kiss, unlike their previous one, is slow and sweet. They both breathe out quiet breaths and take their time as they slide their lips across the other woman’s and press closer.

 

Hecate’s hand scrambles to sink into Ada’s soft hair, pushing it away from her face, tangling it around fingers instead. When she gently tugs and tilts Ada’s head, a moan is mumbled against her mouth. It sounds like her name, low and rough. She feels it all the way down between her thighs.

 

“Ahhh,” Hecate breathes out as the next rush begins, a flood of warmth that starts at her core and soon consumes her. Her body twists and rolls away from the mattress, leaning up into the hand that rubs over her skin and squeezes in all the places that Ada spoils with extra attention.

 

A need builds inside her as Ada palms one of her breasts and captures the nipple with the edge of a slightly calloused thumb. Ada toys with the sensitive bit of flesh, rolling it against the side of a finger, pinching, lightly pulling when Hecate raises on her shoulder to press her chest closer. Small noises of approval get lost between their lips, swallowed and mimicked by her love. By the time Ada moves along to her other breast, Hecate’s low hums and heavy breaths turn into throaty moans that can’t be quieted by the pressure of lips—but it’s no matter for she knows Ada wouldn’t want her to silence herself.

 

Ada’s lips migrate to her neck, a trail of kisses and a light nip here and there; Hecate’s head tumbles back against the pillows, mouth ajar, eyes screwed shut. The tickling of fingers against her ribs makes her squirm, and the little giggle Ada buries in the crook of her neck elicits a harsh shiver.

 

She tries to direct Ada’s hand lower, lower, so much lower, but Ada wraps around Hecate’s wrist and presses her down to the bed firmly. “Patience, my dear,” she murmurs, an order that doesn’t need to be said any harsher than that for Hecate to follow it. Unbound, not even restrained, she will not move her hand from where Ada has placed it.

 

Hecate then feels Ada shifting on the bed and turns her head so she can watch her. She’s lower now, on her side with her mouth next to Hecate’s breast. Her fingers draw patterns and designs onto Hecate’s skin, and Hecate trembles from each brush of soft fingertips. “That feels nice,” she whispers, and then she sighs as a rush of breath tickles her.

 

Ada hums and glances up with a glimmer in her eyes, widely splayed hand following the shape of Hecate’s form as it traces her and sends heat zipping through her body. Hecate’s breathing, already harsh, picks up as Ada slowly lowers her head. The anticipation makes her shift about, unable to lay still. Ada notices and gives her little playful wink before slipping her tongue past her lips and rolling it over Hecate’s heated breast, wet and cooler than she is.

 

She sucks in a breath and pulls her lip into her mouth while watching Ada do the same to her nipple, lips wrapping around the stiff peak. Ada holds Hecate’s gaze and works her mouth with practiced perfection, lips and tongue massaging and teasing. Hecate groans low in her throat and bites her lip, nails scratching the sheets as she searches for something to hold onto. Ada looks like she wishes only to devour Hecate in that moment, to make her breathless, have her wanting and needing. It’s the look in Ada’s eyes that gives Hecate a headrush more than the actual pleasure received from being touched, the way Ada unabashedly craves her the reason she can’t breathe properly because every second or third exhale is a moan or gasp.

 

The look in Ada’s eyes ceases to be only a suggestion; soon, her mouth is everywhere, kissing and tasting and nibbling. Hecate is soft sighs and appreciative moans beneath Ada’s loving mouth, whispered _ohs_ and _pleases_ as she raises her hips and her back, pushing herself up up up into Ada’s hands and harder against her mouth. Everything feels so good. Ada holds her firmly, grabbing around her back and holding Hecate up, stilling her while licking a path down Hecate’s stomach, pressing her back down to the mattress while burying kisses between her hips.

 

Ada’s breath tickles Hecate when she feels her inhale and exhale, lips on her thigh, nose brushing Hecate’s pubic hair. Hecate can’t handle watching her, feels like she’ll come undone just from the sight of Ada’s head between her legs. She slams her eyes shut and focuses on the way Ada feels against her instead. Even like this she’s unbelievably soft, her cheek rubbing a thigh, her hand smoothly gliding up the other one. She kisses and hums so sweetly, the vibration of it felt all the way down in Hecate’s bones.

 

Hecate can hear her whispered words, feel them being imprinted.

 

My sweet one.

 

My darling.

 

My lovely Hecate.

 

My, my, my, my...

 

Hecate whimpers and calls out for Ada, her body dancing to the harmonious chorus from a song of love and belonging. “Ada, please,” she cries out, choking on the last word as she bunches the bedding in her hand and rubs her thighs against Ada’s face, hips rolling. “Come up here with me, please.”

 

She feels too much. She doesn’t feel enough. She feels overwhelmed by the contradicting feelings and needs Ada.

 

“On me,” she adds, eyes squeezed shut tightly as waves of sensations tumble about, prickle her nerves.

 

Ada is kissing up her body at once, her hip, her navel, above her heartbeat. The weight of Ada atop Hecate makes her settle, less frantic; she sighs, comforted, safe, still desperately needing more but no longer feeling as though she’s adrift. Ada stabilizes her. Ada has and always will be Hecate’s anchor when she needs one.

 

A hand covers hers and she takes it, squeezes around it. She can feel Ada’s other hand, along with her quickened breaths, on the side of her face, near her ear. Fingers brush through her hair and gently stroke her neck, moving the curls away to help cool her skin down. She had not noticed on her own how terribly heated she had become—overheated, even—so she sighs with appreciation and allows a few moments to pass before turning her head into Ada’s to search for her mouth.

 

“Your mouth,” Hecate murmurs against the corner of it, “I, I want to be kissing it.”

 

Ada’s answering pleased noise makes Hecate’s belly flip. Ada’s tongue darts out and flicks over Hecate’s lips, wet heat that feels exquisite. “Then you should kiss me,” Ada responds quietly, teeth scraping the edge of Hecate’s lower lip, “don’t you agree?”

 

Hecate moans and kisses her, deep and slow, holding Ada’s hand the entire time.

 

They kiss and rock their bodies into each other gently, Ada’s thigh slipping between hers, Hecate doing all she can to wrap herself around Ada as much as humanly possible. She can feel how wet Ada is and presses her thigh tighter against Ada every time she rolls her hips downward, wants to give back as much pleasure as she’s receiving from Ada, give even more.

 

When they’re breathless and Hecate tucks her head into the crook of Ada’s neck, they’re a beautiful mess of flushed skin and tangled limbs. Ada’s hand slips away from Hecate’s to travel down her body, slowly touching her, dragging streams of heat along her side and over her hip. Ada dances her fingers along Hecate’s inner thigh when Hecate shifts and parts her legs a little more for her. She strokes her way from a bent knee to Hecate’s hip, slowly, inching closer and closer to the junction of Hecate’s thighs; the tips of her fingers almost tickle and cause little tremors.

 

Hecate buries a whimper in Ada’s soft and kisses her neck, damp breath picking up speed as Ada’s fingers become bolder and stroke the sensitive bit of flesh between labia and thigh that always causes Hecate to wriggle helplessly. Her hips twitch, one barely moving under the glorious weight of Ada’s body and the other attempting to shoot off the bed completely. Ada presses her back down with a firm hand and doesn’t allow Hecate to distract her from her journey of exploration.

 

Hecate wraps her arm around Ada and holds her closer, hand stroking Ada’s back, fingers pressing into skin warm and smooth. The curves and lines of her, Hecate loves; she touches everywhere she can reach, traces the stretch marks that rise and dip, thin like fine stripes over Ada’s hips. She lets her nails rake over Ada’s tailbone, delights in the way she squirms from the touch Hecate knows tickles Ada while simultaneously sending off sparks of satisfying pleasure low in her belly. She touches Ada everywhere she can, because there is no part of Ada that she does not adore.

 

At Ada’s ear, Hecate whispers, “I ache for you,” a plain and honest truth, one that makes Ada’s breath hitch and her fingers falter noticeably. Ada begins moving, presumably to resettle beside Hecate, but Hecate squeezes her hand around Ada’s side and holds her tightly. “Please,” she lets escape her on a slow exhale, “stay with me.”

 

Ada lifts her head and kisses the corner of Hecate’s mouth. “Of course.”

 

Hecate opens her eyes just enough to see the way Ada’s smiling at her, open and soft and adoring but still with burning lust in the curves of widened pupils that attempt to drown out the blue seas of Ada’s eyes. Hecate’s heart skitters. She brings her hand up and rakes her fingers through Ada’s mussed hair. Behind an ear, Hecate tucks silky strands, letting her fingers linger, playing along the edge of Ada’s earlobe. _Tap pause tap tap pause tap._

 

Ada shifts her hips to allow her hand more room between their thighs and connected bodies, and it is as Hecate is stroking Ada with tender fingers that Ada’s own find Hecate’s slick flesh. She rubs through Hecate’s wetness and watches Hecate, her own lips parted and letting out a faster than normal stream of air that teases Hecate’s mouth.

 

For her part, at the first touch of Ada’s fingers on her sex, she pulls in a sharp breath and relaxes her leg down on the bed. It’s a slow stroke of fingers, nothing too direct, the pressure of Ada’s touch familiar and welcomed, soothing in a way that is beyond mere sexual fulfillment. Instead of rolling into Ada in a display of need, she settles and opens herself further, lets her eyes fall shut, and gives her body not over to the pleasure that builds builds builds with the pressure of more touches but to something else entirely. She gives herself over to Ada, as she always does.

 

Fingers slip through her folds; Hecate can tell exactly how wet she is by how deep the pleased sound in Ada’s throat is. She _mmms_ and strokes with a firmer touch, pressing to Hecate’s entrance but not entering her, fingertips playing against her with a pulsating sensation. Hecate warms from her scalp to the very tips of her toes in response to the low sound, heart rate picking up. She answers it with her own moan, mouth falling open whilst her head tips back against the pillows.

 

Ada’s mouth descends the length of her neck then, tiny kisses that feel sweet and soft until Ada finds the sensitive spot just above her collarbone. She gasps and presses herself to Ada’s mouth, Ada who instantly spoils the tender bit of flesh with adoring attention. Her tongue rolls over the heated patch of skin, her lips attach, and then Ada sucks on Hecate’s neck with a gentle pressure that is soon anything but. As Hecate wriggles, Ada uses a harsh suction and the hint of teeth. It’s maddening how quickly that makes her cry out, Ada’s name on her lips and spilling out to fill the room.

 

“Oh, my Ada,” she says raspily, and again, gasping, “Ada, my—”

 

She sucks in a sharp breath and interrupts herself when Ada’s fingers push into her, making her feel so gloriously full as she stretches around them. Her body lights up, sings; knowing Ada’s head has lifted and she’s watching Hecate’s face now only increases how intense the pleasure is. Her fingers are stilled as Hecate’s contracting flesh pulses around them, getting used to the sensation of Ada’s fingers buried inside her. When she strokes her hand down Ada’s back and taps against a plush hip, Ada curls her fingers inside Hecate and begins stroking.

 

It’s absolutely divine.

 

Hecate doesn’t notice when she starts whining, when she loses control of the noises that form in her throat and leave her mouth without consulting her first. But Ada kisses her neck and cheek whilst she whispers sweet things to Hecate when she gets this way, tells her how good she’s doing, how beautiful she sounds. Hecate only grows louder, dizzy as she follows the rhythm Ada has selected: steady and strong, deep thrusts, almost harsh but slow, in and out, twist, in and out, twist.

 

Her hips jerk away from the bed when Ada hits a particularly good spot. She chases Ada’s fingers and silently begs for them to keep stimulating the sensitive patch of needy flesh deep inside her, feeling as though she’s on the very edge of sinking into something murky and sticky that will swallow her whole. White hot pleasure shoots through her body; her abdominal muscles tighten, her body becomes tense, and her lungs burn uncomfortably.

 

It feels brilliant up until the very second that it suddenly feels like too much, until her legs are shaking and her hands are digging desperately into Ada’s flesh, needing to hold onto the only thing she trusts to keep her from being thrown into the deep end.

 

“Breathe,” she hears Ada say into her ear and realizes she’s holding her breath. “Come on. Relax for me, darling.”

 

A rough puff of air rushes out. The corners of her eyes sting.

 

“That’s it,” Ada says sweetly, petting Hecate’s hair and face and kissing her cheek.

 

Warm fingers slowly stroke up the side of her neck, and Hecate inhales a deep breath while trembling. When Ada hums, she exhales it carefully. Another stroke up her neck, and she follows the same routine she always does: long inhale, hold, wait for a signal, exhale. No matter the time or place, Ada has a way of knowing when she needs to breathe, to calm down, needs help finding stable ground even when she herself might not notice how off-balance she is.

 

It takes longer than usual for her to breathe without a struggle, but Ada guides her through the entire process with a gentle voice and no complaints, no signs of frustration because Hecate takes too much effort. She almost feels guilty for letting Ada tend to her this way, but she shuts down the voices in her head that try to taunt her as soon as they begin whispering their damaging lies. She focuses on Ada instead, breathes in one more deep breath and lets it cleanse her.

 

“Better?”

 

Hecate nods her head and turns until she can feel the roaring heat of Ada’s skin against her lips. “Quite,” she answers, greedily breathing in the scent of Ada, pulling her into her body, wanting to be deep deep inside her and have Ada inside her as well. She’s never needed to be as intricately connected to another witch, never wanted to be; but she and Ada together are the perfect balance, and Hecate feels comforted by that.

 

“Good,” Ada says in a gentle voice that further helps relax Hecate.

 

She stays in the warm cocoon of safety for a long while before her thoughts begin wandering. Hecate worries she has ruined the mood after a few minutes have passed without Ada speaking or touching more than Hecate’s hair. She stares at the ceiling with her brow furrowed, the very intrusive voices she had pushed away before attempting to slither back in. She doesn’t notice at first, but her fingers are tapping anxiously against the bed and her jaw is clenched tightly. She can feel herself slipping away from her own body, in a way, retreating inward, getting lost.

 

The fact that she notices it happening makes it easier for her to control. She doesn’t need to be guided into her next batch of deep breaths, but she can feel Ada’s fingers running up and down all the same, against her arm this time. They synchronize. But before Hecate finishes her last set of stabilizing breaths, she turns her head and presses her mouth to Ada’s. When she exhales, it’s against Ada’s lips and Ada sighs softly.

 

Ada rubs her hand over Hecate’s cheek and into her hair, buries her fingers in the dark curls and lets her blunt nails scrape Hecate’s scalp. She sends a rush of tingles down Hecate’s back. Hecate hums a pleased sound and attempts to roll over so she can press Ada onto her back and get on top of her. But Ada quickly leaves Hecate’s hair and splays her hand out on Hecate’s hip and holds her down instead, thumb working back and forth, following the straight edge of a hip bone.

 

“Ada,” she hisses, but there’s no genuine disapproval to be found when Ada tilts her head back to look Hecate in the face. Hecate knows she’s already one tender touch away from crumbling beneath Ada in the best of ways, and Ada’s tiny smirk suggests she knows the same.

 

Ada teases the sensitive skin of her hip and inches lower. She makes Hecate twitch impatiently, the tips of her fingers drawing circles and spirals against Hecate’s mons but not slipping down any farther than that. Heat floods her body and flushes her skin; when Ada hums in delight, and rubs her hand around to palm Hecate’s bum, squeezing, the warmth feels as though it triples.

 

Hecate’s breath shakes in the air and she moves her hips, wanting more. “Ada,” she whispers, the look in her eyes undeniably desperate—she can tell from the way Ada bites her lip while looking at her. “I need—I want...” Her breath rushes and shakes again, her hips rolling away from the bed and into the hand that’s barely touching her, palm almost pressing down to where she needs to feel it most. She whimpers shamelessly, feeling her cheeks grow warm but not looking away from Ada. “ _Please,_  please touch me.”

 

Ada shushes her and presses a kiss to her temple. “Lie back,” she instructs her, “and relax.”

 

Hecate feels like there’s a growl inside her throat wanting to escape, but she forces it down and settles. Ada will take care of her. Ada _always_ takes care of her.

 

Ada shimmies a little and readjusts. Her hand rubs up and down Hecate’s thigh, a soothing touch that causes a long sigh. Ada hums in response and turns her head and kisses Hecate’s cheek. She keeps her mouth against Hecate’s face while bringing her fingers to where Hecate’s very little more than a bundle of nerves desperately waiting to be manipulated. Her thumb lightly runs along the edge of Hecate’s clitoris at first, pausing when Hecate bucks her hips and groans—and then apologizes—and then Ada presses more firmly and massages the stiffened nub.

 

A low sounding, “Ahhhh,” spills free from Hecate’s mouth. Her body is fully alert, alive with a new force of electrifying energy that crackles and ripples.

 

Ada hums into her ear. “Good?” Her lips brush a kiss over the lobe and teeth scrape the edge lightly.

 

Hecate’s head falls back into the pillows and she moans again, longer this time. “Very,” she rasps.

 

Ada’s pleased hum fills Hecate’s body with pleasure that feels warmer than that which shoots through her bloodstream and across her nerve endings with every drag of Ada’s fingers on her clit. Ada says, “You bloom as beautifully as any flower I’ve ever seen,” and Hecate whines in response to her sweet words. She just can’t help herself, and she doesn’t want to. She enjoys the way Ada makes her feel, loved and desired all at once; she loves Ada’s special way of caring for her.

 

Hecate can picture the way pleasure builds inside her, like wooden stacking blocks, each one a little more off center than the previous one; it’s bound to fall with a loud crash, tumble right over. Hecate feels herself become that tower of wooden blocks with each stroke, each circle Ada rubs against the side of her clit, every little cry of pleasure that pierces the air.

 

Ada touches her, and she’s gasping, spiraling, falling...

 

Falling...

 

Falling...

 

“That’s it,” Ada encourages right up against Hecate’s ear, breath heavy, labored, heated. “You can let go. Go on. I _want_ you to come for me.”

 

Ada’s voice and words both make Hecate gasp and shudder. Ada’s wants and her own entwine and make one singular desire, and it becomes the only thing Hecate needs at that moment: to climax. She rolls into Ada to hold her close, fingers digging into Ada’s soft, grasping. She’s falling, but Ada’s right there with her, plush and real and not going anywhere. A rough moan scratches her throat; she grabs Ada to her and buries her face in the other woman’s neck, not letting go until she absolutely can’t stand holding on.

 

Ada’s fingers roll over the side of her clitoris once, twice, and then Hecate gives in to every sensation that wants to overtake her and falls, tumbles, body tense and arm tight as she holds onto Ada.

 

As she comes, head flung back, eyes screwed shut, mouth hanging open, Ada whispers into her ear between kisses. And when Hecate’s had enough and rolls over so she’s on her back once more, body desperate for cool air, Ada strokes Hecate’s hair and allows her the time to find her breath.

 

Hecate keeps her eyes closed throughout it all, but once her heart no longer feels like it’s trying to escape her chest, she immediately turns her head and searches for Ada’s gaze. Ada smiles at her, and Hecate reaches across herself to cup Ada’s flushed face in her hand.

 

“Mmm,” is all she can manage, but it is enough to make Ada’s smile grow beautifully.

 

“Mmm, indeed.”

 

Hecate lifts her head from the pillows and, as she holds Ada’s head in place, looks into Ada’s eyes. They are full of warmth. Hecate sighs with contentment. Gently, she presses her mouth to Ada’s and kisses her lips. She lingers but doesn’t deepen the kiss. Instead, she rolls over onto her side and lets out a soft exhale after a few seconds pass.

 

They’re face to face, nose to nose, shared breaths between their opened mouths. Hecate brings her hand to Ada’s breast and gently squeezes, lets her thumb circle Ada’s nipple a few times. She’s delighted by the sound of the soft hum she receives in response to her touch. Her eyes flicker between her hand and Ada’s face. She wants to watch the way Ada’s eyes get heavy, how her flushed skin glows. But she also loves the way her hands look on Ada’s body, her pale skin against rosy flesh, black nails running along Ada’s body. Hecate thinks they’re stunning together.

 

Hecate brings herself up onto her knees and lightly pushes Ada onto her back. Ada goes willingly, watching Hecate closely, as is how she usually watches Hecate. “I know that look,” Ada says with a light smile that matches the airiness of her voice.

 

Hecate only hums deeply in her throat in response, letting her eyes drop down to Ada’s chest. She places her palm between Ada’s breasts and feels the steady beating of her heart; for a brief moment, she closes her eyes and focuses on the faint thumping. When that moment ends, her hand brushes over one breast, around the curve of it, feeling the heft of the flesh where it falls toward Ada’s armpit as though it is attempting to hide itself away. She lifts it in her hand and gives it a tight squeeze that makes Ada moan under her breath, and then releases it so that she can do the same to the other.

 

Her slender fingers map out the contours of Ada’s upper half, and her eyes travel the path her hand takes. She follows the shape of Ada’s breasts, traces the dips and rises of her belly, and slides across the smooth plane of Ada’s chest. She hums deeply, enamored. Ada’s softness continues to be one of the loveliest things Hecate has had the privilege of getting to know so intimately, it and her kindheartedness. When she reaches Ada’s shoulder, she lowers her head down for a brief moment, just long enough to leave a kiss on Ada’s mouth, and then she straightens her spine out.

 

Her fingers stretch and wiggle by her sides. She closes her eyes to settle herself. When she feels ready to do so, she opens her eyes and relocates to a spot Ada makes for Hecate between her thighs once she realizes Hecate’s intentions. Hecate licks her lips; Ada’s open for Hecate, an invitation, swollen and wet with her arousal. Hecate can almost taste Ada on her tongue, and it gives her a little rush before she’s even gotten her mouth on her.

 

She drops a kiss down on one of Ada’s knees. “Beautiful,” she whispers.

 

The crinkles around Ada’s eyes deepen when she smiles. “I was thinking the same about you.”

 

Hecate holds Ada’s eyes for a few seconds longer, still feeling warm from her orgasm but also from the tenderness in Ada’s gaze. One more kiss to Ada’s knee, and then Hecate settles. Ada makes adjustments to give her more room, a few pillows get moved around, and then they give each other affirmative nods when they question whether the other is comfortable.

 

Hecate gathers her hair in her hands, a small shiver running along her spine as the damp ends of her curls tickle her back. She considers putting it up, for it would take no more than a quick thought and the process would be done, but she doesn’t. Instead, she bunches it up into a pile that is far messier than she would ever allow it to be outside of their private rooms and raises her eyebrows, looking at Ada.

 

“Will you?” Ada’s fingers are in her hair and holding it away from Hecate’s face almost instantly. The light tug against her scalp is a welcomed sensation, and Hecate has known since the first time she let her hair down for Ada and allowed her the chance to sink her fingers into it how much it pleases Ada to be able to do so, no matter the reason. “Thank you,” she breathes out, purposely letting her breath fall against Ada’s wet flesh.

 

Ada gives her a little twitch and a sigh. Hecate buries her smile in the fleshiness of Ada’s thigh, presses her mouth to skin that is so warm and soft she can’t help but want to rub her face against it. That is exactly what she chooses to do. With the whole of her face, she touches Ada’s thighs, cheeks and lips and nose, breathing her in, feeling her, forehead pressed into warmth as her teeth nibble where she knows Ada to be impressively sensitive. Hecate marvels at how much her attention to Ada’s thighs makes Ada squirm, how rushed her breaths sound. She loves that she can elicit such eager and beautiful responses.

 

From one thigh to the other, Hecate turns her head to leave hard, lingering kisses, one for each. Her hands rub along the outsides of Ada’s thighs and slide down to stroke over hips that, as she had known they would, roll up to meet her hands. That’s something Hecate has always adored about Ada’s relationship with pleasure: the way she rarely denies herself or pretends she doesn’t want. She indulges. She allows herself the joys of the little things, and she accepts the pleasure given to her.

 

In the bedroom, even when they were new to this, when they didn’t fit together quite right and they needed to work on learning how to best please each other, Ada hadn’t shied away from letting Hecate know what she liked, hadn’t felt a need to hide the way she luxuriated in pleasure. Hecate has never been that way, but she quite enjoys that Ada is.

 

What Hecate is, however, is comfortable showing Ada how grateful she is that Ada has chosen Hecate to be the one who gets to see her in her most vulnerable times—in both the sexual sense and emotional. To be given Ada’s heart and body and trust all mean a great deal to Hecate. She treasures what has been given to her, cherishes Ada; she feels honored to be by her side, and in this moment, to kneel between her legs.

 

Her eyes sweep over Ada’s body from her position with her head hovering above Ada’s sex, taking in every bit of her she can until she’s looking at Ada’s face. Sitting up slightly, propped up by pillows, she looks peaceful and not as impatient as the rest of her body suggests. While her hips dance and move under even the slightest of touches, Ada looks contented. As much as Hecate enjoys the look of serenity on Ada’s features, there’s a building need inside her that wants to undo it. She wants to make Ada flush for her, make her squirm. She wants Ada to fall apart against her in the most primal way.

 

She must wear her thoughts plainly on her face, because Ada looks at Hecate as though she knows exactly what she’s thinking. Transparent to her, hadn’t Ada said just this morning? Ada issues her a silent challenge with nothing more than a quirk of her mouth and little roll of her hips, eyes suddenly lustful. Hecate accepts the challenge eagerly, a growl-like moan freeing itself from her chest as Hecate lowers her mouth and takes a long, full lick up the center of Ada’s sex, tongue pressing softly to Ada’s heated flesh.

 

Ada gasps and undulates beneath her, hand stroking Hecate’s hair but careful not to pull on it. She breathes out an airy, _“Oh,”_ that makes Hecate flood with heat. While Hecate can sometimes be self-conscious of the sounds she makes during sex, Ada never appears to be. If Ada enjoys something that Hecate does, there’s always some sort of vocal sign of approval given. Hecate finds it reassuring and arousing in equal measures.

 

Encouraged by the soft moan, Hecate dips her head and goes in for another taste. She closes her eyes to savor the richness of Ada’s arousal on her tongue. The unique taste that floods her tastebuds is divine, delicious, and _this_ is how Hecate chooses to indulge. There is nothing more satisfying than being surrounded by Ada in every possible way, no pleasure she enjoys more; she is happiest when they are connected, and especially loves being able to connect in this special way that only she is allowed to share with Ada.

 

Hecate’s nose wiggles from the fine hairs that tickle it, but she presses her mouth, her entire face, closer. She breathes Ada in and moans. The thick scent of her wanting is dizzying. Hecate’s hands smooth out on Ada’s hips and touch her gently, up her sides, over her belly, back towards the thighs which she chooses to hold onto. She loves the way muscles jump beneath flesh, the way Ada will quiver when Hecate’s found a particularly satisfying spot and lavishes it with her mouth.

 

Hecate moves her tongue through Ada’s folds a few more times before focusing her attention on Ada’s clit. The bit of flesh is thick and round and, when Hecate wraps her lips around it and slowly sucks, it makes Ada buck her hips and squeeze her thighs around Hecate’s head. Hecate moans against her, earns herself another buck of Ada’s hips and a deep sound of pleasure that sounds farther away than Ada actually is due to the warm thighs on her ears that distort the noise.

 

She works the tip of her tongue around in a circle and plays with Ada’s clitoris, careful around the tip because she knows how sensitive it is and that Ada prefers when Hecate isn’t too direct when touching her there. Instead, she licks over the thin protective hood and flattens her tongue out to wiggle it and then lap greedily over the bundle of nerves.

 

Ada gets noisy, harsher breaths and soft sighs that Hecate struggles to hear. Hecate holds Ada’s thighs tighter when Ada starts moving beneath her mouth, rolling up into her, pressing herself to Hecate’s face and rubbing needidly. Hecate’s nails dig into her. It’s Hecate’s way of telling Ada that she enjoys it, that she wants her to keep going—it’s the reason for many tiny crescent marks left on Ada’s skin in the past. The bite of her nails in the soft flesh of such smooth thighs does _something_ for Ada, and although Hecate is still sometimes surprised by this, she absolutely enjoys the reactions the small dashes of pain between tender pleasure receive.

 

She enjoys Ada’s reactions so much that she moans right along with her, groaning and humming as she licks and sucks at her, as she rubs her face against inner thighs and turns to nibble on them before going back in for more of Ada’s needy cunt. Her mouth opens and presses messy kisses, sliding over Ada’s wetness and sucking the taste of her from her labia. She’s delicious everywhere.

 

Fingers work through Hecate’s hair, nails on her scalp making her tingle. She moves her mouth lower, runs her tongue over Ada’s entrance once, twice, and then flattens it out and lets it flutter a little. When she feels Ada gently stroke behind her ear, she sighs and rolls her tongue around, circling a few times before the tip of it dips inside of Ada and curls into her wet heat. She groans in pleasure and hears Ada do the same.

 

Her tongue flickers and strokes, goes rigid while she moves her head. Hecate does not know which of them makes the most appreciative noises, Ada or herself, but by the time she opens her eyes and tilts her head so she can look at Ada, they’re both panting and flushed all over.

 

Hecate seals her lips over Ada’s clit without breaking eye contact and hums deeply while she starts moving her lips, and just like that, Ada is coming hard and noisily, body both quivering and folding in on itself. Hecate is mesmerized. Her hands rub gently over Ada’s thighs and she works Ada through the waves of pleasure that move through her body, all while trying to catalogue every second of Ada’s display of euphoria in her mind.

 

She slows the movement of her mouth, and then moves away from Ada’s sensitive flesh completely when the thighs beside her head fall down to the bed. She turns her mouth to the right one and kisses it, and then does the same to the left, breathing out slowly against Ada’s heated skin. She brushes a few more random kisses across Ada’s body, below her navel, the underside of a breast, Ada’s shoulder. When she gets to Ada’s mouth, she pecks her lips gently and then gracefully lies down beside Ada.

 

She wipes her face with her hand, wet from Ada’s orgasm, and lets out a pleased little chuckle as she settles completely, fingers sticky as she rubs them together. She licks her lips and enjoys the lingering taste of Ada, head turning so she can look at her. A hand rubs down her arm and slips into her own. She squeezes around Ada’s fingers and presses their palms together, too hot for any more direct contact. Hecate runs her thumb over Ada’s knuckle and lifts their hands so she can kiss the back of Ada’s.

 

Ada lets out a soft hum and gives one of her warm, dimpling smiles to Hecate. Her eyes open slowly, unfocused more than they usually are without her glasses. Hecate would offer to reach over to the nightstand and retrieve them for her, but she knows Ada won’t be awake for much longer. There hasn’t been a single instance when morning sex wasn’t followed by a morning nap for Ada, and Hecate wants nothing more than to watch her drift off after proclaiming that she’ll only rest her eyes for a few minutes and then they’ll get up for the day.

 

Instead of fetching glasses, Hecate completes a few temporary fix spells: a drying spell for the sheets, and a shower spell for them both. She scoots over once she’s certain her body heat won’t be too much for Ada, bringing them closer to one another. She presses a longer kiss to Ada's mouth this time and gently caresses her face, feeling at peace. The summer air is warm and smells of juniper, there are no immediate tasks that need to be taken care of, and Hecate does not feel the urge to get out of bed when there is a beautiful woman gathering her up in her loving arms. 

 

Sighing, Hecate allows herself to fall into Ada and be held. “Mmm,” Hecate hums against Ada’s chest, wrapping her arm around Ada and stroking her side.

 

Ada’s soft giggle is a sweet chime that fills the room. “Mmm, indeed.”

 

Hecate shuts her eyes, adoration warm in her chest. With her thumb, she taps out a message against Ada’s side, one she feels quite strongly and wishes only to make sure Ada never has reason to doubt. _Tap pause tap tap pause tap._

 

Ada’s heart noticeably jumps beneath Hecate’s head, recognizing the taps Hecate so often makes. Ada verbally replies with the same message, softly whispering, “I love you.” When Hecate kisses Ada's chest, above her heart, Ada strokes the top of Hecate's head and drops a kiss of her own there. She sighs, content.

 

_Tap pause tap tap pause tap._

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhh! I'm still trying to learn the characters and their voices and mannerisms, but I hope all of y'all who gave the fic a chance enjoyed it.
> 
> Thanks for reading xx


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